Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Ensemble Force Spectroscopy by Shear Forces
Published on: July 26, 2022
Spectral collapse in ensembles of metamolecules
V A Fedotov1, N Papasimakis, E Plum
1Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom. vaf@orc.soton.ac.uk
Abstract:
We report on the first direct experimental demonstration of a collective phenomenon in metamaterials: spectral line collapse with an increasing number of unit cell resonators (metamolecules). This effect, which is crucial for achieving a lasing spaser, a coherent source of optical radiation fuelled by coherent plasmonic oscillations in metamaterials, is linked to the suppression of radiation losses in periodic arrays. We experimentally demonstrate spectral line collapse at microwave, terahertz and optical frequencies.
Related Concept Videos
Molecular Spectroscopy: Absorption and Emission
UV–Vis Spectroscopy: Molecular Electronic Transitions
Mass Spectrometry: Molecular Fragmentation Overview
One type of fragmentation pattern is the cleavage of a single bond in the molecular ion. The cleavage leads to a radical and a cation. The cleavage can occur at...
¹H NMR: Interpreting Distorted and Overlapping Signals
As Δν decreases and the signals move closer, the doublets appear increasingly distorted. The intensities of the inner lines increase at the cost of those of the outer lines as the signals are slanted or...
Mass Spectrum
¹³C NMR: Distortionless Enhancement by Polarization Transfer (DEPT)

